Acoustic stringed musicians have long sought a mechanism for mounting transducers onto their instruments which will not attach directly to the soundboard of the instrument, will not disturb the playing motions of the instrumentalist, offers the capacity for quick and easy interchange of different transducers without having to de-tune or remove the strings, and offers the option of removing the transducer from the instrument when not needed.
Many designs exist for mounting transducers on acoustic stringed musical instruments. These designs involve the use of screws, spring clips, flexible shafts, telescoping arms, clamps, adjustable rails, foam pads, mounting frames, and similar methods.
There are three common elements to be found in most of these mounting mechanisms, and each mechanism includes one or all of these three elements:
First, there is no effective means for interchanging different transducers. One transducer is permanently mounted onto each mechanism. PA1 Second, some part of the transducer assembly or mounting mechanism is affixed to the surface of the instrument (often the soundhole of the instrument) in a manner that is aesthetically unpleasing, may cause damage via friction to the parts of the instrument where the device is affixed, may disturb the playing motions of the instrumentalist, and/or may dampen the vibrating abilities of the instrument to produce acoustical sound. PA1 Third, there is an output cable which emerges from the transducer and is left to lay against the face (soundboard) of the instrument. This leaves the cable in a position which may hinder the playing motions of the instrumentalist, and also poses a danger to the instrument. If the cable is accidentally pulled or tensioned, it may tear the transducer away from the instrument, and thereby damage the parts of the instrument to which the device is affixed. An alternative is to permanently connect the output cable from the transducer to an output jack located elsewhere on the instrument. This solves the above mentioned problems related to the cable, but the transducer will then be permanently installed in the soundhole of the instrument. PA1 The first component is a receptacle which is mounted onto the instrument. This receptacle embodies sleeves or other female audio connectors (jacks) which are electronically connected to an output jack located elsewhere on the instrument. PA1 The second component is a series of transducer assemblies which have male audio connectors (plugs) mounted directly onto the casing of the device. These plugs are electronically connected to the output conductors of the transducer and are positioned to be received by the female connectors (sleeves) of the receptacle.
The prior art which does offer the possibility of interchanging transducers is limited to use on solid body electric guitars using only electromagnetic pickups, and is not applicable to acoustic guitars or other acoustic musical instruments. These designs for electric guitars always use the plugs/pins attached to the transducer only for the normal purpose of conducting electronic signals. Mounting frames and/or screws are used to accomplish the task of physically mounting the pickup onto the instrument.
Exemplary prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,501,186, 4,227,434, 4,394,830, 4,404,885, 5,010,803, 4,854,210, 5,029,511, 4,748,886, and 5,010,803.